People eat food every day. After digestion of food, excrements are probably discharged from the human bodies every day. However, some specific groups such as young babies, dementia patients or handicapped people often require particular cares. For preventing the excrements from overflowing everywhere, their hips are usually covered with diapers. However, the care attendant cannot directly realize whether there are excrements in the diaper. Consequently, the care attendant has to examine the use condition of the diaper on a regular time schedule, or otherwise the care attendant realizes the need of changing the diaper until the odor of excrement is smelled. Moreover, since the care attendant cannot immediately realize whether there are excrements in the diaper, the excrements have been in contact with the skin of the cared person for a certain time period before the diaper is replaced. Owing to the long-term skin contact with the excrements, the cared person who uses the diaper is readily suffered from skin problems like diaper rash.
When bacteria in urine and feces combine together, they will decompose to form irritant ammonia. This is the main cause of diaper rash. Moreover, the bacteria and acidity in feces may directly infect of the fragile skin of the infants and the elderly persons. Nowadays, the functions of the diapers in absorbing urine, keeping dry and preventing leakage are apparent and continuously improved. However, the problems of diaper rash and infections caused by the contact of skin and feces are unable to be effectively solved.
Recently, some kinds of diapers with sensing devices were introduced into the market. These sensing devices are used to sense the presence of excrements. Due to some drawbacks or limitations, these diapers are not widely used. Firstly, the cost of the diapers with sensing devices is high. As known, since the cost of the commercially-available ordinary paper diapers is relatively lower, the ordinary paper diapers are usually disposable. However, since the sensing device of the diaper is very high, the disposable deign is not cost-effective. In other words, the current diaper with the sensing device is usually not disposable. Due to the lack of the disposable feature, the original aim of the paper diaper is no longer achieved. Secondly, the safety of the diapers with the sensing devices is not satisfied. For most sensing devices, the sensors sense and transmit “electrical” signals. Since the sensing device is disposed within the diaper and close to the human body, the “electrical” signal is possibly in direct contact with the cared person because of the weight or any action of the cared person or in indirect contact with human body through the excrement medium. Even if the “electrical” signal is very low or an “insulating” means is adopted, the “electrical” signal within the diaper may result in physiological risks or psychological risks to the user. Consequently, the conventional diaper with the sensing device is not popular.